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Essence Fest Elevated

Your Perfect Essence Festival Hotel Stay

Stay Steps Away from Essence Festival Fun

Every year, Essence Festival brings together hundreds of thousands of people to the Big Easy for a grand celebration of Black culture, music, and empowerment. Our hotel is perfectly positioned to be your sophisticated sanctuary during this vibrant event. Our prime location in the Central Business District offers easy access to the main festivities at the Superdome and convention centermaking getting around a breeze. After a day of concerts and inspiring speakers, you can retreat to our elegant, art-filled rooms for a tranquil escape. We invite you to enjoy classic cocktails at the Peacock Room and to indulge in the delectable dishes at King Brasserie & BarKimpton Hotel Fontenot provides the ideal blend of luxury, convenience, and genuine New Orleans hospitality to elevate your expectations and is the perfect homebase for the New Orleans Essence Festival.

people at Essence Festival

Guest Adventures at Essence Festival

Offering an unparalleled array of activities and performances that cater to every interest, Essence Festival is a celebration for the ages. You’ll find electrifying, star-studded concerts featuring the biggest names in R&B, Hip-Hop, Gospel, and Jazz and you’ll find diverse empowerment seminars and workshops, celebrity meet-and-greets, beauty and style expos, and more. From our prime location, less than a mile from both the convention center and the superdomeKimpton Hotel Fontenot is the answer to the age old question of where to stay for Essence Festival.

bright and colorful streets of New Orleans

Explore Hidden Local Gems

While Essence Festival is, no doubt, the main focus of your trip, we encourage guests to discover the authentic, intimate corners of New Orlean’s when they have the time. Just a short walk from our doors, you’ll find the Warehouse District, an artsy hot spot filled with museums and great food. Stop into the Ogden Museum of Southern Art or explore Julia Street also known as Gallery Row. And, of course, we're just down the street from the famed French Quarterwhere you can laissez les bon temps rouler to your heart's content.

young people with arms raised in the air

Travel Tips for Festival-Goers

Essence Fest New Orleans is a whirlwind of excitement, energy, and inspiration. And, at Kimpton Hotel Fontenot, we believe in having a good time. This is New Orleans, after all. To have a good time, we find it’s always helpful to know the tips and tricks. Here’s some of ours!

  • While it’s tempting to get a rideshare, our prime location puts you only a 10 to 20 minute walk from all the action.
  • Hop on board our famed streetcars to access even more of the city, stress-free.
  • Make sure to drink plenty of water
  • Think about taking a quiet midday moment back at the hotel
  • Grab a caffeine pick-me-up at Gospel Coffee

Laissez les bon temps rouler!